1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus for indicating information, a control apparatus for controlling the information processing apparatus, a program that causes a computer to operate as the information processing apparatus and the control apparatus, and a recording medium recording such a program.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, a communication by an electronic mail via a communication line is in great vogue. When a communication by an electronic mail is performed using a personal computer, there is adopted such a scheme that a program for transmitting and receiving an electronic mail is initiated to display a screen for electronic mail, and when an electronic mail is transmitted, a sentence is inputted and sent, and when contents of a received mail are confirmed, the received mail is displayed on the screen to confirm the same. Further it is known that the personal computer has a function of reading the received mail in order to confirm the received mail.
In the event that an electronic mail is received in the mid way that an image plane, which is different from an image plane for electronic mail, is displayed on a display screen to perform a work, it is troublesome that the received electronic mail is displayed on the same display screen, or alternatively it may be obliged to interrupt a work now carried out. Thus, in order to avoid such a problem, it is known that there is provided a small auxiliary display screen in addition to the display screen, and it is displayed on the auxiliary display screen that an electronic mail is received.
In the event that receiving of an electronic mail is informed using the auxiliary display screen, it is also known that even if a power source of the computer turns off, the power source turns on for only the necessary portion to inform of receiving of the electronic mail.
Of various schemes of informing reception of an electronic mail, a scheme, in which an auxiliary display screen is provided in addition to a main display screen, and it is displayed on the auxiliary display screen that an electronic mail is received, has many advantages that there is few possibility that an operator, who works while looking at the main display screen, encounters troublesomeness, or the operator is obliged to interrupt working. And in case of such a type of personal computer, for example, a so-called notebook type of personal computer, in which a display panel having a main display screen is folded when it is unused, a provision of the auxiliary display screen at a position out of a portion covered by the display panel makes it possible to display a reception of an electronic mail even in a state that the main display screen is folded.
It is noted that the auxiliary display screen is not restricted to one that is fixed on a main body of a personal computer, and it is acceptable that the auxiliary display screen is provided in form of one that is independently of the main body wherein it is connected with main body on a cable basis or a radio basis.
In order to enhance the convenience of the auxiliary display screen, it is considered that not only a reception of the electronic mail, but also contents of the received electronic mail per se are displayed on the auxiliary display screen.
However, it often happens that an auxiliary display screen is restricted to a display screen small in size generally in view of the cost and the installing space. In this case, there is associated with such a problem that the number of displayed characters is restricted to a remarkably less number of characters and thus it is difficult to display an electronic mail having a usual length of sentence.
Further, the auxiliary display screen is used for displaying contents (string of characters) Web pages obtained from a predetermined WWW server and contents notification of a private schedule as well as displaying an electronic mail.